Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-22

Completed; forty-four acres have been added
- me EEELRs and the value Of the college
property has increased, during the past two
years, from S1A5, So. 50 to 52U7, 63S-O3. The
annual attendance has increased from 595 "a
428, representing SIXTY Kansas counties and
states. In It's buildings equipment
and grounds, the agricultural college ia
admirably adapted for work in Its special
field, and lie justifyIng, IN the results of its
training, the confidence and support Of the
people.
State Normal SehcoI.-The reports Of the
regents and officers of this institution show
that it IS in a very prosperous condition. Its
graduates are IN demsPd as teachers, and
the enrolment OF pupils attending is stead
lily increasing. During the nscal year end
ing June Both, 1885, the enrolment was 605i
for the next year, 1t reached z24; and, during
the present year, 1t is believed that fully SOC
young men and women anxious &c qualify
themselves as public educators, viii be IN
attendance.
The legislature, during its session in 1886,
enacted a law ''to further endOW tbs stat
normal school," by granting to ittWelve ses
tons Of land, known as tbs salt spring lands.
The governor was directed to appoint three
disinterested persons to appraise said lands,
and the board of regents was authorized to
sGribed Il the set referred 70. In accordance
with authority thus given, on the 60th %
March, 1856, l appointed ID. ~ finnsy, o.
NeOsho county, j. F. Billings, of Clay coun-
VI
appraisers. These gentlemen performed the
duties assigned them IN very satisfactory
manner. Not single appeal was taken from
the valuations made by theIns which aggre-
gated ST., $50. The board of regents, through
a committee consisting Of Messrs. J. 81.
Franklin, W. b. Caldwell and e. w Warner,
sold all the lands, except two quarter SEQ
tiCns, at an aggregate of S7o,S The land1
sold, with the exception of one tract, were
disposed of to resident farmers, all disputes
concerning the ownership OF improvements
and right to purchase being amicably set
tied by the committee, The two quarter sec
lions unsold were appraised &C an aggregate
of S2,24O. and approve the recommending
of the board of regents that these tracts lie
sold at priVatA eaIe, thus avoiding the eL-
pense of reappraisement and advertising.
No appropriation was made to pay the
expense of appraisings advertising and sell
the lands, which aggregated 1902 IS. An
appropriation for this purpose should be
made.
The suggestions and recommendations Of
the board, concerning changes and needed
improvements in the school, deserve your
c0nsiderate attention
THE EDUCATIONAL BOARDS.
4 has been Suggested that the three boards
or regents having charge, seVeralIy, of the
university, the agricultural college, and the
normal school, should be consolidated, and
that Ons board be given supervision OF
all these institutions. i do not believe
that such a system of management
would be practical, or advantageous either TO
the state or the institutions. Each OF these
schools occupies q different held, and the
legitimate ambitions and riVaiEieB of each
promote the efficiency and prosperity of all.
One board could not escape the suspicion, If
indeed 1t could avoid a real development, OF
partially. Its recommendations in favor OF
improvements at one institution would be
regarded, by the others, as faVOritism; and
thus jealousy, discomfort and snimosities,
hurtful to the interests of all, would be en-
gendered. The expense of the boards of re-
gents might be reduced, as have elsewhere
suggested, by abolishing the mileage system
but I would not advise placing the manage
mcnt of the three institutions in charge Of
one board.
THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FLUID.
The permanent school fund now aggre.
gates 81, 061, SS7 SO, of WhlchRmount "a, COL.
B27. O5 is invested in interest bearing bonds
This total. however, includes &, 900 IN bOndl
of school districts of Comanche county
s., 800 of Norton county, $4,000 Of RicI
county, all of which are supposed to bC
fraudulent. They were purchased twelve
years ago, and no interest or principal has
ever been paid upon them. It also includes
800, goo in bonds of the city of Lawrence is
sued in 1870 and 1871, on which interest Waa
paid until after the passage of sn act By thu
legislature of 1888, which, the authorities Ol
Lawrence claim, relieved the city from ell
further liability on these bonds. The peg
manent school fund has thus, in plain Vio
latiOn of section 3, article 6, ef the consti.
tuition, been diminished TO the extent o.
STA, 900, and it should be the duty Of the
legislature to take some action looking 70
replacing this amount.
The permanent school fund Is principally
derived from the sale of school lands grantsC
to the state by. congress, VIZ, the sixteenth
and thirty-siLth section In every congress
sionul township, and from the i've pei
centum on all sales Of public lands within
the state. There are 2,259 congressicna
townships in the state, and two sections il
each township would make an aggregate o
2, $50, 240 acres of land. The state also re
ceiVed from congress, On its admission, 500,
900 acres of land, bat this amount WIS, man,
years ago, diverted from its original pur
pose, and given to aid IN building railroads
The sails of the school lands however
should have yielded . permanent schOo
fGnd Of $lb, 0OO. GOD to 81. 600, 600, and WOul
have zone this II the LAND had been peopsEI
guarded and sold. But the Legislature pro
vided, for its sale, the most absurd and i'm
provident system that could possibly haV
been devised, and under this rockies
and perniciOus legislation the permRnen
school fund has already been deprived o
more than one half Of the benefits it ehoulG
have realized.
called the attention Of the Legislature e
this subject two years ago, as did each o.
my predecessors for eight years previously
but nothing was done TO reform the abussl
Of the system. / again invoke your consid
Grafton of this matter, and earnestly trus
that some action will be taken 10 protec
what remains of our school domain from
despoiRtiOn.
How many acres of school land have beer
soIds what lands remain unsoid, how mucl
money remains unpaid on lands that hGV,
been sold, and what amount Of interest Il
due on land sold on time-au this informa
tion1 whiGEs It seems to me. should be o.
record In some state department., and aeces
sible at any time. have been unable TO OBJ
tain. Neither the state auditor nor tn
superintendent of instruction can fuEniBl
any of these facts. Surely, the state ough
70 have record OF the unpaid principal o
school lands sold, land Of the lands yet unsold
The determination of this question involves
probably, four or hVe million dollars, yet
has been treated, by every legislature tina
has assembled for ten years past, as If it wa
a matter of no interest to the stats or its Deo
pie. There are no data, In any state Office, D
Tar as l can learn, on which TO base even 4.
approximate estimate OF the future receipt
Of this large and important fund.
The school fund commissioners are NEST
ing with increasing difficulties, year ate
year, IN keeping this fund invested. Tn
law governing such investments needs ct
tentloa, and the legislature should devils
some plan by means Of which the meme
coming into the school fund can be propeFI
invested IN safe interest-bearing securities
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The biennial report Of the board Of trua
tess of state charitable institution, with It
| accompanying reports OF superintendent
and other officers, furnishes detailed infol
nation concerning the condition, ezpeBs
and requirements Of the ssylums for the III
sane at Topeka and OssaWatomis, the stat
reform school at Topeka, the institution 70
the education of the deaf and dumb a
| Olathe, and that for the education Of tn
blind at WyeadOtte, the asylum for IDIOT
and imbecile youth, now at Lawrence, bu
/ soon TO be removed to Winfield, and the ze6
| soldiers orphans home at AtcEis0n.
! These numerous charitable, sducstioua
/ and refOFmatoEy Institutions entail upon til
I state heavy burdens, which increase e on
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